What a stupid decision. Agriculture inherently makes GMOs: we’ve been doing so for thousands of years by controlling plant and animal genetics.
The only time we should avoid GMOs is if they increase reliance on pesticides (round up ready) or pose a legitimate threat to ecology if they escape (e.g. creeping root systems). Having multiple varieties of GMO, so they don’t get taken out by disease is also a good idea.
Golden Rice, also known as Malusog Rice, was developed with enhanced levels of beta-carotene to help tackle vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a form of malnutrition affecting more than 15 percent of children under six in the Philippines.
They say golden rice is “an ineffective tool to combat VAD it is also environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to human health, and compromises food security”, but these claims are wholly unsupported. The linked PDF only tries to scare you with the unknown (“we don’t know how the body processes this beta carotene!” like it’s different from that in carrots, and they don’t cite anything that shows people eating it developed health issues).
The court ruled that all commercial propagation of golden rice and Bt eggplant must be stopped until “the concerned respondent government agencies submit proof of safety and compliance with all legal requirements”
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